Page 78 of Blue Norther
“I can’t believe how stunning this is. Thank you.”
She nodded. “I embroidered all of our names into the blanket. If you look in the center, it’s subtle, but they’re there. Your mom and dad’s names, too. When the baby’s born, I’ll just steal it back for a day and add their name.”
I hugged the blanket to my chest.
“I can’t even come up with the words to say how much this means to me.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Dolly’s eyes shimmered, and I waved her over to give me a hug. In a strange way, it didn’t just feel like Dolly was hugging me, but my own mother, too. We were connected through something sacred. Precious.Motherhood.
My new friends were so generous. Lily and her husband Gunner had gifted the most beautiful baby carrier. She swore it saved her back as her daughter grew. And Birdie had put together an entire postpartum basket for me, full of lotions and oils that smelled amazing, some teas that were good for milk supply, and even the coziest pair of slippers.
Jessie’s gift had made me cry. She’d taken everyone’s pictures from the family and put them in a book, with their titles underneath, so we could show the baby who their family was. Colt’s picture was his official department head shot which made me laugh, and mine was from the family dinner we’d all had a few days ago. My body was half hidden by the table, but there was a hand on my belly. And although you couldn’t tell who the hand belonged to, I knew it was Colt. It had all made me smile at first, but then I realized at the very end, after Dolly and Daniel, she included photos of my mom and dad from my wedding day.
That hit hard. I really did wish my dad would move back to Silver Springs. To be closer to us. To be here for his grandchild.
“Oh look, there’s one more present left!” Mae giggled as she handed me the last bag.
“Thank you all again. This has been so wonderful. I just…I’m so thankful for family, old friends, and new ones, too.”
I felt the hard edges of something as I reached into the bag.Maybe a picture frame?As soon as I pulled it out, I realized I was right. But as soon as I caught a glimpse of the edge, my mind clouded with confusion.
I had this same frame in my apartment, holding the only picture I kept out on my nightstand—from our wedding day.
Maybe I’d mentioned that to one of his brothers? Would they go out of their way to get something like that for me?
My heart sank, the sudden wave of nausea at what I was holding in my hand slamming into me so hard I almost fell out of my chair.
“Violet?” Mae’s voice drifted from over my shoulder. “Oh my God.”
I looked at the women surrounding me. “I don’t understand.” I could feel the tears prickling in my eyes.
“Let me see what that is.” Dolly held out her hand.
“No,” I nearly shouted at her. I held the frame close to my chest, tears now spilling down my face. I’d brought something so evil here. Something that clearly wanted to take Colt away from me again.
Mae spoke calmly while I was still trying to wrap my brain around what I was seeing. “Jessie, go get Colt. He’ll want to see this.”
Colt
“To becoming a dad at forty! It’s truly the best sort of whirlwind there is.” Hawk held up his beer, and I tapped mine against it. The fire pit was at peak blaze, steaks and chicken on the grill. My brothers—minus Lachlan, who I was pretty close to losing my shit on—were all standing here to celebrate my son.
Fuck. Hawk wasn’t lying. It was exciting.
“Don’t think we forgot to get you a little present.” Beau smiled as he pulled a gift bag out from behind his chair.
“Wow, Beau. Did you wrap it up yourself? I never knew you had those skills,” I joked.
“Nah. Jessie took care of that for us. This is from her, too, by the way. She’d brand me with the cattle iron if I forgot to tell you that.”
I opened the bag, moving around some tissue paper until the edge of the present revealed itself.
A new cowboy hat.
“This is great. Thank you.” My eyes worked over the details in the hat. Worn in dark leather—my favorite. My name, branded on the inside next to a word that made my chest tight.
DAD.
“We figure you’ve worn lots of hats over the years,” Hayes said. “Son. Husband.”
